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Reviews and Photos from Wynton’s Third Harvard Lecture “Meet Me at the Crossroad”
Wynton Marsalis recently gave the third of six epic lectures that he is slated to give at Harvard University. He promised that this one wasn’t going to be 4 and half hours long, as the last one was. When he got started, the result was part history lesson, part concert, part spoken-word poetry reading. Three hours into the show, his agenda became clear: He was telling a timeless story about love. For Charlie “Yardbird’’ Parker, inventor of bebop. For Bessie Smith, teller of the low-down nasty truth. For Woody Guthrie, who sang about running from the law. For all those who sang about being both broke and broken-hearted. For every artist who cared more about art than celebrity.
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Notes on music’s lessons
Jazz legend Wynton Marsalis met his audience at a tuneful crossroads at Sanders Theatre Monday night, exploring America’s diverse musical heritage. On Tuesday, the energetic trumpeter and composer met with members of the Harvard community at the intersections of music, education, ethics, and innovation during two far-reaching panel discussions. Keep reading »
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The melding of American music
A crossroad is a possible turning point, perhaps from the past, or from tradition, or from another direction. But to Wynton Marsalis, the legendary musician and artistic director of jazz at Lincoln Center, a crossroad is an intersection meant to be celebrated, which is exactly what he did in his combination performance and lecture at Harvard Monday evening. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis returns to Harvard University for third lecture in series
Wynton Marsalis continues his two-year lecture series at Harvard with an exploration of root styles of American music in Sanders Theatre on Feb. 6. Currently the artistic director of jazz at Lincoln Center, Marsalis is an accomplished musician, composer, bandleader, and educator who has made the promotion of jazz and cultural literacy his hallmark cause.
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Revolutionary Art at University of Delaware
Wynton Marsalis believes that the revolutionary spirit of the Founding Fathers lives on in the truly American art forms of jazz, swing and the blues. Keep reading »
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Jazz great explores American culture through the arts
Integrating his beloved jazz into an exciting cultural overview, internationally renowned musician Wynton Marsalis educated the crowd gathered for the sixth annual Edward Shapiro Distinguished Lecture Series about the validity of the arts throughout U.S. history and the importance of retaining a uniquely American artistic identity. Keep reading »
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Fifteen Questions with Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis: In a jazz band, the drummer conducts. A leader must embody a spirit. The leader embodies the spirit, and the musicians choose to follow it. That’s how it goes ... but I rehearse the band, you know what I mean? That’s how I lead. There’s a hierarchy, a check down system built on mutual respect and understanding. My band has chosen to accept my leadership. Keep reading »
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Acclaimed musician and Pulitzer Prize winner to give Shapiro lecture
Accomplished jazz trumpeter, composer, bandleader, educator and Pulitzer Prize winner Wynton Marsalis has left a lasting pattern in the fabric that makes America. Keep reading »
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Marsalis in motion
Using rhythm and music and motion, Wynton Marsalis took a rapt audience through the evolution of the American dance form at a packed Sanders Theatre Thursday night. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis returns to Harvard University for second lecture in series
Marsalis’ second lecture, “The Double Crossing of a Pair of Heels: The Dynamics of Social Dance and American Popular Musics,” will be accompanied by live performances by acclaimed dance professionals, including Jared Grimes, Nelida Tirado, Eddie Torres Jr., Heather Gehring, and Lou Brockman.
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“In this lecture, I will address the dynamic relationship between American music and social dance in our culture,” Marsalis said. “It will focus on what our dancing and music tells us about our traditions, our sense of community, and our rituals of courtship.”